Timothy Kasbe

Timothy Kasbe is Chief Operating Officer of Gloria Jeans Company, largest vertically integrated fast-fashion apparel retailer in the Russian Federation. Gloria Jeans Company, based in Rostov On Don, has experienced break-neck growth in the past five years with 48 factories and 692 stores across 11 time zones of the Russia Federation and Ukraine. Prior to Gloria Jeans Company, Timothy served as the Chief Information Officer at Sears Holdings, in Chicago, IL and was responsible for a technology driven transformation of the retailer from bricks and mortar to online properties for ecommerce, social, and a loyalty program for all Sears’s businesses. Before Sears, Timothy was CIO for Reliance Industries Limited in Mumbai, the largest Indian company across oil & gas, pharma, retail and other businesses. Prior to Reliance, Timothy had a long career in IBM and served in many roles there in software, retail and services sectors. He started his working life at Westpac Banking Corporation in Sydney, Australia as a money market dealer. Timothy Kasbe holds several degrees in Technology, and Theology. He is currently completing his doctoral studies in Theology at Duke Divinity School,
Durham, NC. Kasbe also serves on the board of Seriosity Inc., Palo Alto, CA and DataTamer, Inc.

Naja Nielsen

Naja Nielsen is a Visiting Scholar with HSTAR at Stanford, as well as Head of TV and Executive Editor of Danish Broadcasting News, an independent provider of news and current affairs via TV, Radio, Mobile and Online. Nielson is the winner of several television awards, and has over 20 years of experience in news media - as a reporter, television presenter, producer, editor and host of political debates. She holds a BA in Journalism from Danmarks Journalisthøjskole, and degrees and certificates in Executive Education, Journalism and Management from
the Kellogg School of Management, Medill School of Journalism, the Stanford Research Institute, and the Wharton Business School.

Rick Rommel

Rick Rommel is a mediaX Distinguished Visiting Scholar, and is a respected and entrepreneurial industry leader who has built innovative businesses in the consumer electronics, retail and aerospace industries. Most recently, Rommel created Best Buy’s Global Private Label CE business, the company’s most profitable internal start-up initiative. Prior to that, Rommel helped lead Best Buy’s New Business Consumer Solution Group to create, incubate, and accelerate new global business opportunities. Rommel’s career has spanned management roles in a $4B retail business and a $10M startup; and consumer product development for Best Buy and Kodak. He has served in General Management, Product Development, Sales, IT, Business Development, Marketing and Operations roles and began his career launching satellites at Hughes.

Paul Saffo

Paul Saffo is a Silicon Valley-based forecaster with three decades experience helping corporate and governmental clients understand and respond to the dynamics of large-scale, long-term change. He is a Distinguished Visiting Scholar with mediaX, teaches forecasting in the Engineering School at Stanford, and is chair of Future Studies at Singularity University. Saffo is also a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, and a Fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. Saffo holds degrees from Harvard College, Cambridge University, and Stanford University.